Public Investment and Privatisation in the New Towns

New towns are often considered to be among the best examples of urban planning in Britain. In this paper their financial implications are assessed, drawing on the example of Bracknell. The financial costs and consequences of the new towns were initially very unclear, but the government took a long-term and fairly generous attitude towards investment because of the wider economic and social benefits that were anticipated. Expenditure controls tightened as the costs of development increased and the political and economic climate changed. Within the last decade government policy has been to sell off the publicly-owned assets created over the previous three decades. Bracknell ultimately achieved a reasonably favourable financial outcome. How and why this occurred are examined. Also, some of the effects of privatisation are explored and lessons are drawn for urban policy more generally

Business · Economic growth · Economic policy · Economics · Political science · Politics · Public economics · Public policy · Housing Market and Economics · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Regional Development and Policy · Finance

• The Treasury As Developer-Capitalist? British New Town Building in the 1950s

  Open Access•Carol E Heim•The Journal of Economic History•1990

  Añadir item

• New-town programs and housing schemes

  Open Access•Pooya Alaedini, Nasim Yeganeh•Journal of Housing and the Built…•2021

  Añadir item

• Is It Possible to Build Financially Successful New Towns? The Milton Keynes Experience

  Open Access•Richard Peiser, Richard B Peiser et al.•Urban Studies•1999

  Añadir item

• Property-Led Urban Regeneration

  Open Access•Ivan Turok•Environment and Planning A…•1992

  Añadir item

• The British New Towns

  Bob Mullan, Meryl Aldridge•British Journal of Sociology•1981

  Añadir item